Summer Programs

Deaf adults have long been concerned about where and how deaf youngsters spend their summers—they recognize the need for these youngsters to participate in summer activities with their deaf peers. Thus Deaf adults have taken it upon themselves to create and manage summer programs that specifically meet the needs of deaf children. The 1960s saw the founding of several long-standing summer camps for deaf children. After the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) was passed in 1975, and as more and more children were placed in general education settings, the number of summer programs grew exponentially, demonstrating that concerned Deaf adults and their hearing allies see summer programs as critical elements in the lives of deaf children.

Summer and weekend programs for deaf youngsters are as diverse as the people who run them—diverse in location, program, and marketing methods. However, all aim to fill a void in the lives of these youths, to bring them together for educational, cultural, and recreational experiences that will increase their social capital, provide critical life knowledge not obtained in schools, and improve their self-awareness. Most camp directors and staff volunteer their time or accept very minimal wages. The camps were founded and continue to be managed as creative labors of love.

Several summer camps are part of the collective Deaf culture, and most people within the Deaf community are aware of them. These include Youth Leadership Camp, Camp Isola Bella, Aspen Camp for the Deaf, and Camp Mark Seven. With the exception of Camp Mark Seven, which was founded in 1982, these camps were founded in the 1960s and have been running ever since. Three of these programs were founded by deaf individuals (the exception is Aspen Camp, which was founded by the father of a deaf son), and they have maintained their status as key resources for the Deaf community and for schoolchildren. Although these summer camps have always been vehicles for passing Deaf culture through the generations, their importance as carriers of culture has likewise increased exponentially in the 21st century as the great majority of deaf children have minimal access to this culture while being educated in general education settings.

Frank Turk and Gary Olsen founded the National Association of the Deaf (NAD) Youth Leadership Camp (YLC) in 1969. These two individuals wanted to provide high school students with opportunities to learn about leadership, citizenship, teamwork, and other valuable life skills. Specifically, they wanted to provide these opportunities to Junior NAD members so that NAD leadership would benefit once they became adults. They also wanted to provide opportunities for personal growth, feeling that deaf youths would not have such opportunities in their respective home neighborhoods.

This 4-week flagship program includes activities related to leadership, literacy, health, drama, art, Deaf history, and current issues. Students go through a competitive application process: 32 males and 32 females are selected. Applicants must be fluent in ASL and have demonstrated leadership potential. YLC has considerable prestige in the Deaf community, and alumni pride themselves on being former campers and counselors.

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